Manipulation in the food photography

Abstract

This dissertation explains what manipulation in photography means in practice, focusing on the food photography. I analyse the history of the photography to prove that manipulation was present from the beginning of this invention as it has its origins in the painting and sculpture. Firstly, it served mainly propaganda and political purposes, but in the 1990s and 2000s, with the introduction of the new digital tools that created retouch easier and more accessible, manipulation became almost unambiguous with the retouch in the glamour and fashion photography. However, my dissertation proves that manipulation is present not only in the fashion and journalism photography, but is often practised also in the food photography, which is my main interest for the purposes of the practical part of my diploma which is a cookbook. Manipulation in the food photography means mainly using fake, inedible props. I describe the dishonest tactics in detail in one of the chapters of the thesis. Finally, I also describe techniques that I employed for creating the natural photoshoot of the food for my cookbook.